Barbaro (April 29, 2003 – January 29, 2007) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2006 Kentucky Derby but shattered his leg two weeks later in the Preakness Stakes which ended his racing career and eventually led to the decision to euthanize him.

On May 20, 2006, Barbaro ran in the Preakness Stakes as a heavy favorite, but, after a false start, he fractured three bones in and around the fetlock of his right hind leg.

He was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent five further operations, and his prognosis varied during an exceptionally long stay in the Equine Intensive Care Unit at the New Bolton Center.

While his right hind leg eventually healed, a final risky procedure on it proved futile because the colt soon developed further laminitis in both front hooves.

[1] He was a third-generation descendant of Mr. Prospector, and as such Barbaro was related to many notable racehorses including Afleet Alex, Smarty Jones, Funny Cide and Fusaichi Pegasus.

Barbaro was bred and owned by Gretchen and Roy Jackson's Lael Stables of West Grove, Pennsylvania.

Barbaro's lead in the final furlong expanded, although jockey Edgar Prado did not use the whip and ask for his top speed.

This margin of victory at the Kentucky Derby was the largest since 1946, when Triple Crown winner Assault took the "Run for the Roses" by eight lengths.

Although he was stunned, trainer Michael Matz opted to abide by the implied judgment of Barbaro's jockey that the horse was fit to run.

[3] As the restarted race began, Barbaro broke cleanly but suffered a catastrophic injury as the horses passed the grandstand shortly after the start.

The day after the race, Richardson performed a fusion of the fetlock and pastern joints to stabilize the leg and make it strong enough for Barbaro to walk on.

The surgical team successfully implanted a Synthes stainless steel Locking Compression Plate (LCP) and 27 screws into the colt's injured leg to span the comminuted fracture and joints.

The remaining 20% of his hoof wall was attached to the coffin bone and was still living tissue, but it was unclear how much of it would grow back.

The coronet band (the area from which the hoof grows) on his left leg appeared healthy and all signs were encouraging.

In another setback, Barbaro developed a deep abscess in his right hind foot, a problem generally caused by lack of grip exercise.

Additional surgery was performed on January 27 to insert two steel pins into the healed bones of his right foot as part of an external skeletal fixation device.

[21][22] Later that same weekend, Barbaro's front hooves, which had remained healthy throughout the ordeal, displayed clear signs of laminitis because the horse was unable to bear weight on his hind legs.

Barbaro was euthanized on January 29, 2007, at around 10:30 a.m. EST by decision of his owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson, who indicated that they felt that his pain was no longer manageable.

[24] The Barbaro Sculpture, created by Alexa King, was unveiled April 26, 2009, at Churchill Downs, the week preceding the Kentucky Derby.

In 2007, Breyer Animal Creations released a Barbaro model that includes a Certificate of Authenticity from his owners, jockey, and main doctor at the New Bolton Center.

This fund will focus on Equine Health and Safety, which will include research to find a cure for laminitis, the disease that ultimately led to Barbaro's death.

In 2007, HarperCollins published Barbaro: A Nation's Love Story written by Pamela K. Brodowsky and Tom Philbin.

[32] In 2007 Universal Pictures announced director Peter Berg would produce and direct a feature film entitled Gone Like the Wind, based on an article published in Vanity Fair by Buzz Bissinger.